Moving Ahead with Menu Planning

Do you get overwhelmed by the amount of cooking that has to be done in the week?

I do!

And can I tell you how many times it has been 4:00 (OK, yes, sometimes 5:00) and I'm still unsure of what we're having for dinner? Sadly this has happened as often as I've been off on maternity leave as when I'm working full time.

I really do like cooking in general. I didn't grow up cooking much but I still like it. I can't make up my own recipes most of the time so I rely on cookbooks and other people's blogs and websites to dish out the good recipes. No pun intended.

Even with all of the information out there and all of the possibilities, I still find it hard to come up with things to make. And then I tend to make the same stuff all of the time. That gets pretty boring for my husband for sure.

And then there's the times where I call my husband on his way home from work and ask him to pick up a few things on his way home and we spend 20 dollars just to make a meal because I didn't plan ahead. Or yes, order out for pizza occasionally.

There have been times where I've been OK, and I stress on the low end of OK, at planning meals. I know when I do, we spend much less money on food. It's also a challenge when I get home from work because I want to take as much time to play with the kids as I can, but then the call of dinner lingers around and I have to cook. So I am constantly searching for quick meals that are still healthy and call for few ingredients which means less time in the kitchen overall. As I find more meals like this, I'll be happy to share them with you.

There are a few reasons I wanted to do better with meal planning.

1. I'm going back to work after next week and the thought of going back to the "old way" of meal planning, which was jotting down a few ideas and then saying, "I'll figure it out later" and never did, is not going to fly anymore. I want to be more in control of knowing what we are eating to maximize my time with my family and minimize time in the kitchen. When you make a meal plan, you can also say things like...oohh, that meal takes sour cream and so let me come up with another meal to use the rest of the sour cream. Bet you never thought you'd say something like that before.

2. Taking kids grocery shopping can be a challenge as I'm sure many of you know, so having an exact list will be helpful. While I've done exact lists before, it was never exact enough. And I'd rather get as much stuff as possible in one trip and not have to make 10 trips a month to the grocery store.

3. I want to have a better idea of exactly how much we spend on food and how often we go through things. We've always had a pretty loose food budget because I think spending money on good wholesome food is important. BUT, it was getting a little out of control so we are trying to pull in the reins on how much we spend and stick to whatever amount we decide on. My plan is to record the dates of when I buy something so I know how long it takes us to go through maple syrup for instance, or how long it takes to use up a pack of toilet paper. There are people who really know these things and it helps them plan and budget better. This might not be of interest to you, but I'd like to have this information.

4. My husband will be a stay-at-home daddy for an indefinite period of time and I know it will greatly help him to know what to serve for breakfast and lunch. He's pretty handy in the kitchen but I know this will help him stay organized. I wish I had done this months ago so I was more in control while at home!

I guess those are the main reasons. I have in the past planned out dinners for a week but then I wouldn't take the time to do the following week in time and so it would sort of fall apart. The weekly thing wasn't working for me so I'm doing a monthly plan.

I tried doing a monthly dinner plan recently where I took a calendar and wrote dinners for the entire month. It sort of worked, sort of didn't because I left too many open holes for leftovers where there weren't leftovers. And I repeated too many things.

Breakfast is usually pretty easy to figure out and I don't normally plan for it but in this plan I did, just to see how it would work. Lunches are also usually flexible and I tend to buy the same things to have on hand for lunch but there are still days where I feel like lunch is boring and repetitive so I decided to plan for lunch as well.

I read a few methods from some fellow bloggers and then sort of took their ideas and my own ideas and came up with this system. I'm sure there are lots of ways of doing menu planning and this will be a work in progress but here's where I am at this point. You can use my ideas if you want or read some other menu planning blogger ideas too. It certainly feels awesome to have my first full plan finished!

The form I used I took from Stephanie at Keeper of the Home. You can find it on her website or just use a piece of notebook paper and draw a few columns like I did.

1. I started by writing down things that I know my family likes to eat for dinner(spaghetti, grilled chicken, tacos, etc...) I asked my husband how often he would want to eat these things (weekly, monthly, etc...) He doesn't like to eat the same foods as often as I do so I wanted him to have a say in what he would prefer. The kids will just eat what we make (or be hungry)!

2. I made 3 columns on a piece of paper, one each for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a place for the date on the side. The teacher in my really wanted to grab some chart table and hang it up on the walls, but I restrained myself. Plus, I don't have any chart paper at home.

3. I started by filling in the dinner column since I knew this would be the most time consuming. Using the plan that my husband gave input for, I started filling in some things to eat on each day. If it was something he only wanted once a month, I only used it once. I also had a few new recipes I wanted to try so I put those on as well. I made sure we had one fish meal a week, one soup a week, one vegetarian, and then the rest were a toss-up between chicken and beef or turkey. I made sure every line had a meal. I know we won't need every single meal because there will be leftover nights or a night we go to a friend's house or have someone over. Sometimes, we also like to make homemade pizza. The meals will be flexible from night to night in case something comes up and they have to be switched around. Also, I left some of them a little generic to fill in with a vegetable later depending on what I find on sale or what is in season. For example, if the meal is grilled chicken and veggie, I don't put a specific vegetable down because it might not be the best choice if it's not a good price when I shop for it.

4. I repeated this process for breakfast and lunch which was simpler and I could repeat things more often. For example, my kids love eggs and eat them about 3 times a week. Again, I put things like eggs and fruit. I'll let them choose what kind of eggs they want (egg surprise, scrambled, sunny up, etc...) and the fruit will be again, what's in season or what I found for the best price. This will be much easier in the summer when there is so much good stuff in season. I'm running low on the fruit I froze this summer already!

My plan is to highlight when we eat the meal so I can keep track of how accurate it was. I'll also fill in the specific fruits and vegetables we ate. If the plan changed, like we went to a friend's house, I'll record that and save that meal for another time.

5. Once my beautiful chart was complete, I made a grocery list. First, I made a list of all the staples I would need for the entire month, only writing down what I didn't have in the cupboards already. This was things like grains, pasta, rice, canned goods, dried fruit, oils, etc... These are foods I purchase at our local health food store or find in our main chain grocery store.

6. Then I made a list JUST for this week of what fresh produce I would need, plus things like butter, cheese, milk, eggs and bread that I buy weekly. These things I get from local markets. I'll make a new list every week for the fresh stuff based on what we have left and what the menu says we need. If I plan well enough, I should only have to go to the grocery store once a week to do the main shopping and then the local markets weekly.

Fortunately, I have lots of frozen meat from our beef we purchase yearly and chickens we purchase maybe twice a year so I don't have to worry about meat (unless I'm buying nitrate free bacon and hot dogs).

7. Finally, it was time to go shopping. I bought the staples for the month at our local health food store (with the exception of a few things I couldn't find). I was fortunate this month I already had a lot stocked up. Here's what my staples look like:

For future budgeting purposes, I recorded how much things cost at the health food store so I can price compare and find where the best deals are for specific foods. This will take awhile but it's part of my overall goals for meal planning and budgeting.

I bought some produce at the health food store and some from a local market. Here's our produce for this week. Hopefully it will last!

Hopefully I didn't forget too much and will only have to go to market for fresh stuff. Our local markets also have places to buy fish, nuts, dried fruits and things like that so it helps to avoid the grocery store.

This whole process of planning, not the shopping, probably took a few hours and I did it in bits and pieces when I had time. I didn't like doing it that way so from now on I'll take a chunk of time toward the end of the month and do it all at once. I think that will go more smoothly. Plus, now that I have a month done, I can repeat some of these meals, add new ones, and have a record of what we've eaten and when. Hopefully, it will just keep getting easier and faster as time goes on.

So, was that a lot to take in? It was a lot to write. I tried to be specific in case you were interested in trying it yourself. Hopefully, if you've been thinking about menu planning it will give you some ideas to get started. And if you want to start slowly, maybe just try it for one meal of the day and then move into other meals. I'd love to know what you're going to try or if you have a plan that works for you already. I'll keep you posted on how this works for us!

Back to Basics

Do you have any idea how many blogs there are out there? Millions, probably.

And how many of them are about healthy and natural living? Thousands I'm sure.

If given time, I could get completely lost and absorbed in bloggyland. You know, how you read a comment on someone's blog, click on their link, and suddenly you are reading thoughts from a person you know absolutely nothing about. But there they are.

This is how I came to discover that there are tons of people out there writing about the same kinds of things I do. Only most of them seem to do it more often, know a ton more than I do, and in my opinion, write much better.

I had the thought this week to just refer you to my three favorite blogs on healthy eating and just turn in my resignation.

But then I remembered why I started blogging in the first place.

I've had a lot of negative experiences sharing my beliefs about food and eating well. Some people don't really understand, or they think you're in some way trying to be better than them. But I really do believe in the things I write about, or the things in my head that I want to write about and never seem to get around to it. And I wanted to share these things with others and help take baby steps to making changes in your lives that hopefully, affect your health in a positive way.

I know that most people who actually read this blog are friends of mine and that's where I wanted to start. There might be a few who were referred by my friends. And that's exactly what I hoped would happen. Just sharing my thoughts with people I love and then maybe getting a few more people on board and everyone sharing with each other what they are changing in their lives for the better with how they eat and live. So whenever someone emails me to tell me something they've changed, I celebrate.

I plan to refer you to my favorite blogging gals in some entries in the future and I encourage you to check out their sites because I really think they are all amazing at what they write about and how they write to encourage other people. All three of them are stay-at-home moms, love the Lord and their families, and encourage others in their journeys to organic and natural living.

As long as you still come back and visit me once in a while.

Once of the bloggers I follow is Lindsay from Passionate Homemaking. Lindsay recently had a post titled Can Natural Living Become an Idol? You can read the post yourself if you want. Basically she talks about how putting healthy eating or living above God and others can create a problem, and it can become your idol.

I thought her feelings on the matter were right on and it obviously hit a nerve with a lot of people because there were over 200 comments about this post. I didn't read all of them but after skimming, I got the feeling that a lot of people are doing their best to make small changes in the way they eat or live. They might not be able to eat all organic foods or do everything "perfectly" but they are doing the best they can.

I've been in the place, I'd say a few years ago, where, while I wasn't making eating organic food an idol, it was becoming a pride issue. While I wouldn't say I felt better than anyone else for the changes I was making, it did give me a sense of pride to stock my refrigerator with good food. Maybe I felt like this because I was just excited about what I was learning and maybe not. I did at times, wonder why other people weren't really all about it, why they didn't think making changes in their life was necessary. Where I would look at someone's grocery cart piled with plastic shopping bags and wonder why they didn't just buy some canvas ones. Or wonder if they ever cooked at all based on the contents of their cart. Or when I told all my friends about how great cloth diapers were, why no one really wanted to try them.

And so I sort of stopped sharing with people because I felt like no one really cared or no one was really listening. I was so excited to tell people but I felt like they didn't get what I was trying to do. I basically was making it more about me, and not about them and certainly not about my Creator, who was teaching me how to look at life and food differently. So maybe it was an idol, even if I didn't see it that way back then.

I think when I finally realized this, I changed my attitude.

It has still been a struggle at times to share my feelings on the pursuit of healthy living. Maybe continued fear of rejection? And that hope that people don't think I'm trying to be better than them? I do really want to just share things I'm learning and hope you'll learn along with me. And my hope is that you'll share with someone else something you've done and then they'll share with someone else what they've done and on and on. Sort of like, paying health forward.

And just a reminder, I'm on the journey right along with you. I'm still working to make changes in what I eat and how I live for the better. I have in no means "arrived" or do I do things perfectly. I'd say this past year, reflected in how often I've written, I've really struggled with eating well starting with how sick I was during pregnancy and how I had a hard time desiring to cook and eat well. While I do my best to feed my family a lot of organic and local food, we're not perfect. There are some changes I've made and will not go back on (in a future post I'll share that) and there are more things I hope to do better.

Which leads me back to the reason for this post. Whew...about time, right?

Remembering that the pursuit for healthy living starts with small changes, and I know many of you have made small changes, I started making a list of things I'd like to do better with and I'll be posting those things in the near future. I hope it encourages you to know we are all in the journey together. And the things I do are not things you have to do, but I'd love to hear about what you are doing.

So, all that being said, here is a sneak peek at a few things on my list. I'll be writing about these and some other areas in the future.

-Getting a better handle on the food budget
-making monthly meal plans
-composting
-less leftover waste
-making homemade snacks
-paying attention to how long things last (laundry detergent, etc..)
-finding more simple and healthy recipes

Knowing me, it will take me awhile!

And what about you? Any goals you have?

Chocolate Earth Balls

I am forever searching for healthier alternatives to satisfy my seemingly endless sweet tooth. I'm not sure if it's eating more sweets than normal after Christmas or my post-delivery cravings, or a combination, but my sweet tooth has been in high mode for a few months now. And I, admittedly, have given in and eaten a lot of foods I wouldn't normally eat, but I haven't been super committed to limiting my sugar intake as of late. Both my husband and I are committing to eating less sugar, particularly refined sugar. There was a time I had almost completely cut it out of my diet, but as too often happens, the more you slip away from the good habits, the more the bad habits seem to take over. I used to be able to eat dates or coconut rolled dates and feel satisfied. While I still enjoy that treat, it's not my first choice these days. And the fact that pregnancy weight is coming off much more slowly than it did with my other children is adding to my determination to get a handle on my sweet cravings.

So while looking through my Whole Foods Market Cookbook for something for dinner, I poked around in the back section called Cooking With Kids, that I had previously ignored and found a great recipe for Chocolate Earth Balls. I happened to have everything on hand they called for (amazingly enough, that almost never happens when I find something I want to make) and made half a batch, to see what the kids would think. Well, we ate them all in less than 2 days so I made another batch today. They are chewy and smooth with a little bit of crunch and plenty of sweetness to be very satisfying. And the kids had fun helping me roll them together! They sort of give you a sense of eating a candy bar.

As always, you should try to use as many organic ingredients as possible.

Chocolate Earth Balls

1 cup peanut butter
Side note: you should really try to eat natural peanut butter that has all of the natural oils and not the added hydrogenated fats that most traditional brands use. Even better, try organic peanut butter because peanuts are not the healthiest nut and have more pesticides than other nuts). You could also use another nut butter such as almond butter or combine the 2 like I did in my batch today. You could even substitute a little bit of tahini.
1/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons carob powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut, divided
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used organic grain-sweetened)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans (I actually eliminated this because I didn't have nuts I wanted to use on hand and they were still fine)


Make sure peanut butter is stirred well. Mix honey, peanut butter and cocoa or carob powder until well combined. Stir in raisins, 1/8 cup coconut and chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Place remaining coconut, sesame seeds and nuts in 3 separate bowls. Roll mixture into balls and then roll into coconut, seeds and nuts. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to set.

This recipe made just over 2 dozen generously sized balls. I might do them a little smaller next time. They really are tasty so I encourage you to try them when you want something sweet AND healthy!

Hip, Hip Hooray for Handmade Gifts

I wish I were a more creative person. Some people tell me I am, but the older I get, the more I realize, I am not. This became more evident over the month of December when all my daughter wanted to do was make Christmas crafts. The best I could come up with were putting glitter stickers and foam stickers on glass ball ornaments and making snowmen out of mini-marshmallows. Oh, and those foam craft kits were quite handy as well.

Despite my lack of craftiness, there is creativity that runs in my family. One of my brothers is quite creative and witty with his writing. My other brother just made us a compost bin with wood from a futon that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. My older sister is very creative when it comes to food. While I enjoy eating and writing about food, she is great at experimenting with food and making food look really yummy (oh, and of course it tastes great too). At my nephew's recent birthday party there was a gorgeous camouflage cake and some super yummy and beautiful appetizers...things like mini-skewers of Italian meats,roasted peppers, and mozzarella balls. When she makes and presents food, it's just beautiful.

My younger sister amazed us all at Christmas. She lives on the opposite coast that we do and flew in bearing a least a suitcase full of handmade amazingness. I am still in awe at all of the things she managed to make in just a few short months. I would be lucky to have made one thing in that time. She even admitted to "messing a few things up," but yet, re-making them! While she has no formal sewing training, she has the patience and creative spirit to make magic happen! The things she brought for us could have been sold in those cute little shops that carry people's homemade things. Since I have no sewing talent whatsoever (OK, I MIGHT be able to sew a button), I love to support people who can make things on their own when possible. These items tend to be a bit more expensive than those made in factories across the world, but their uniqueness is priceless. But now that I know how talented my sister really is, I can just ask her to make them (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).

So here are a few things that she made...

Onesies for the baby...note the matching slippers for the middle two.

On the left are plastic sandwich bag replacements. They velcro shut and you can wash and reuse them and save a few bags. On the top right is a cute little wallet. On the bottom right is a little wristband thing (not sure the formal name) made with my late grandmother's handkerchiefs. They also doubled well for Christmas dinner as napkin rings.

These are reusable produce bags!

Some pillows...as my husband would like our son to be into sports someday. Right now he's really into musical instruments, hence the next pillow she made him. Cute, right?

A super cute doll (sorry, couldn't figure out how to turn the picture.)

And finally, matching aprons and chef hats. Oh, and the aprons are reversible!

Amazing, right!? And the pictures don't really do justice to the quality of what she made.

Anyway, the point of this post, other than getting to show off my sister's cool things, is to support people who make and sell handmade things. I cannot imagine the hours she spent making these, plus lots of other stuff for the rest of my family members. I'm sure even if she sold them, the cost of her time and talent would go unrewarded.

I'm sure you've all been in little shops where they sell handmade loveliness. If not, you can always check out etsy.com, a great place to check out all things handmade. Not only can you support others who often make a living or have a small side business doing what they do, you can get something original for yourself or someone else.

Three cheers for that!

The Beauty of New Life

I was recently reading a blog of a friend who lists her friends down the side of her blog and it tells when they last posted. So when I caught a glimpse of mine that said something like 5 months ago, I was a bit surprised, but then again, not really. I seem to start every entry with an apology, as if anyone actually checks to see if I've written anything new. So I've decided, I'm not apologizing anymore, I'll just write when I feel led. It's not that I don't want to blog my thoughts and learning about food anymore, it's just that, with a new baby and time off from work at home with my other 2 gorgeous kids, well, it just hasn't been a priority for me. I've been enjoying being at home. I guess I've been a little self-centered in that priority, but for now, it's where I stand.
After our third child was born in October, I was in complete awe of her. I guess I was in awe after the other two as well, but it felt different this time. I kept thinking, "the beauty of new life." I would just stare at her, marveling at her beauty, innocence, perfect contentment at being held, trusting in me to care for her, all those thoughts that I'm sure all parents feel about their kids, those thoughts that make you marvel how much God loves us, how he adores and loves each of us. Maybe because this could be our last child were the thoughts stronger, maybe because God's timing is greater than our timing, I'm not sure. I'm amazed every day by my children, the things they do and say, what they're learning that you don't realize. There's just something about a newborn, though. The entry into the world, the newness, the hope, the beauty...so I'm still taking it all in and enjoying each day at home with my kids. I go back to work in 5 weeks, sigh...but I'm not thinking about that just yet. Maybe I'll write more when the time comes.
So while this has nothing to do with the main subject of my blog, it's where my heart has been. I have an ongoing list in my head of things I'd like to write about, but I'm not making a resolution to write more often. I'm not much for resolutions, but I do feel strongly about eating well and passing along some healthy tidbits here and there. So one of these days, I'll actually do that!